The accused, arrested after a 70-hour manhunt, admitted to stabbing Saif Ali Khan during a burglary attempt in Mumbai.
January 20, 2025, Mumbai: A 30-year-old Bangladeshi national, Mohammad Shariful Islam Shehzad, has confessed to attacking actor Saif Ali Khan during a burglary attempt at his Bandra residence, according to police sources. The accused, who reportedly said “haan, maine hi kiya hai (yes, I did it)” upon arrest, was apprehended near Hiranandani Estate in Thane, 35 kilometers from the crime scene.
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Intense Manhunt Leads to Arrest
The breakthrough came after a 70-hour operation involving over 100 policemen. Shehzad, who had been hiding in the bushes of a forested area near a labor camp, was traced using information from a local contractor. His arrest followed a seven-hour search operation.
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Senior police officer Dixit Gedam confirmed that Shehzad is a Bangladeshi national with no valid Indian documents. However, the defense lawyer Sandeep D Sherkhane contested this, claiming Shehzad has been living in India for several years with proper documentation and that his family resides in the country. The accused has been remanded to five-day police custody.
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Details of the Attack
The incident occurred in the early hours of Thursday when Shehzad reportedly broke into Khan’s 12th-floor apartment in the upscale “Satguru Sharan” building. During the failed burglary attempt, Shehzad stabbed Khan six times. Doctors later removed a 2.5-inch piece of a broken knife from Khan’s spine. They noted that if the knife had pierced 2 mm deeper, it could have caused severe damage.
Khan’s wife, actor Kareena Kapoor Khan, recounted the horrifying moment to the police, saying, “The attacker was aggressive. I saw him stab Saif repeatedly. Our priority was to take Saif to the hospital.”
CCTV and Witness Accounts Aid Investigation
The investigation relied heavily on CCTV footage from the area. A carpenter who resembled the suspect captured on CCTV was initially detained but later released. Another suspect was detained in Chhattisgarh but was also let go. Eventually, the evidence led police to Shehzad in Thane.
The couple’s nurse, Eliyama Philips, revealed that the attacker demanded ₹1 crore before the stabbing. She was the first to encounter the intruder.
Defense Claims and Case Developments
Defense lawyer Sherkhane claimed the case has been exaggerated due to Khan’s celebrity status. He also argued that the accused’s background and documentation need thorough examination. Meanwhile, the police confirmed that Shehzad had been living in Mumbai under the alias Bijoy Das.
The case continues to unfold, with police efforts focused on uncovering further details about the accused’s motives and background.
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Saif Ali Khan attacker arrested, Bandra stabbing case, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Bollywood crime news, burglary attempt, celebrity crime cases